Electric car charging stations may be making an appearance in Horowhenua after discussions at a committee meeting last week saw members vote to recommend it to the council.
If they are installed, Horowhenua District Council would be likely to chip in $40,000 for two sites with up to four charging stations at each, probably located at the railway car park in Shannon, and at the new Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom cultural centre in Foxton, where ducting has already been installed.
The finance, audit and risk subcommittee voted to recommend that HDC makes a joint application with Kapiti Coast District Council and Electra to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund to install the stations based on a funding model split between the entities, along with electric vehicle charging network Charge Net.
For Horowhenua, HDC's contribution would likely be up to $40,000, which is 20 per cent of the total cost, the EECA would take on 40 per cent, while Electra and Charge Net would pay 20 per cent each. However, HDC communications lead Lacey Winiata said they would be looking at "maximising" the EECA portion up to a potential 50 per cent.
The proposal would be for fast charging stations, which generally see a vehicle obtain a 100 kilometre range within a 30 minute charge. Slow chargers fully charge vehicles overnight, while medium ones take around four hours for a full charge.